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PECULIARITIES OF LANDSCAPE GENRE IN PAINTING IN
UZBEKISTAN
Umida Akhmedkhodjaeva
Researcher
K. Behzod National Institute of Fine Arts and
Design, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14970032
Abstract
The content of the article is a review of the artistic trends that emerged
during the sharp development of the landscape genre in the second half of the
20th century in the context of historical and social changes.
Keywords
Landscape genre, landscape painter, plein air, landscape-painting, industrial
landscape, epic landscape, lyrical landscape, symbolic-metaphorical landscape,
artistic trend, plot picture, motif, immanent.
In the second half of the 20th century, the gradual development of the
landscape genre in the painting of Uzbekistan was distinguished by its unusual
characteristics, which were the result of complex historical and cultural changes
in society. In 1956, at the 5th congress of artists of Uzbekistan, L. Rempel stated
that "the bright color of the land of Uzbekistan is not a texture invented by
formalists, it is a fact".[1] Russian and national artists began to deeply and
consistently study the uniqueness of the nature of Uzbekistan by going to a
concrete place "plein air". They were able to clearly see not the factual value of
the depicted area, but its lyrical and beautiful aspects. The landscape painting
has its place in the painting, in which the brightest features of the nature of the
country (district) chosen by the artist are concentrated in focus. Industrial and
urban, epic and lyrical (romantic), as well as symbolic and figurative types of
landscape appeared. A number of new landscape painters were considered as
representatives of these types of landscape painting. In particular,
representatives of industrial landscape: U. Tansikbaev, R. Timurov, E.
Kalontarov, P. Pantyukhin, V. Petrov, G. Shpolyansky, Yu. Yelizarov, A.
Mirsagatov, A. Aliyeva, B. Babayev; city views: M. Novikov, V. Zhmakin, V.
Zelikov, Yu. Taldikin, R. Viko, A. Yunusov; lyrical (romantic) and epic: N.
Karakhan, P. Gan, N. Kuzibaev, Z. Inogamov, G. Chernukhin, V. Ziyoyev, V. Enin, V.
Troshina; symbolic: E. Mel'nikov, G. Zil'berman, G. Ul'ko.
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V.I.Zhmakin
“On the construction of Angrenskaya GRES” oil on canvas (1958)
There was a need to perceive nature through the prism of "imagery". In the
second half of the 1950s, significant changes began to take place in the image of
Uzbekistan, which became the threshold for the rise of national schools in the
1960s. This period is characterized by the flourishing of the landscape genre.
Landscapes of great painters such as U. Tansikbaev, N. Karakhan, V. Zhmakin, R.
Timurov, N. Kuzibaev, M. Novikov, Z. Inogamov, P. Gan and others played a big
role here. These artists, who promoted the idea of national landscape, mastered
a wide range of artistic tasks with the help of new pictorial means. In the
landscape of this period, a tendency to strive for majesty was observed, the
problems of the light-air environment were solved, and the tasks of the open-air
space were defined. Observing the state of the atmosphere and the change of
natural color depending on the light, the artists searched more precisely for
tonal-color relations in the landscape. New methods of landscape composition
were also formed, which allowed to make the landscape space not just a
landscape divided into plans, but a part of wild nature. It was during this period
that the real foundations of landscape painting were laid, masters who studied
in Moscow and Leningrad appeared. These are R. Ahmedov, N. Kuzibaev, M.
Saidov, T. Oganesov. For these artists, plein air work was the main aspect of
creativity. And naturally, this led to the development of the scene. H. Rahmanov,
G. Shpolyansky - the authors of the "Transport of Uzbekistan" series of
landscapes join the tireless research of N. Karakhan and U. Tansikbaev aimed at
determining the emotional-expressive and decorative-tonal possibilities of color,
M. Yesin - "Drilling lights", K. Bogodukhov, and other artists are constantly or
occasionally interested in the landscape genre. The desire of landscape artists to
express the worldview of contemporaries is manifested in the selection of motifs
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and their artistic interpretation. In this regard, V.Zelikov's "Flying cranes"
(1962) is characteristic of the small landscape. In the panorama of the
construction of the new district, in the clear order of the newly raised houses, in
the rhythm of the tower cranes, the artist felt the breath of today. In the 1960s,
E.Kalontarov, P.Pantyukhin, V.Petrov's works are distinguished by their unique
color combinations and architectural forms.[2]
N.Karakhan
“Evening” oil on canvas. (1950)
Studying the development dynamics and trends of landscape painting in
Uzbekistan in the 1960s-1980s shows not only its widespread use in the
painting system, but also its dominance. In the typology of development, the
landscape of "pure nature" and the landscape of "second environment" are
obtained. Traditionally, the landscape is dominated by the theme of mountains.
The "second environment" landscape is dominated by the industrial theme and
the theme of the old city. During these years, a kind of virgin and memorial
landscape was formed. Mainly two trends have developed in painting: firstly,
plein air (tonal) associated with the work of the founders of fine art and based
on impressionist and Russian painting traditions, through P. Benkov to
K.Korovin, that is, the work of Russian artists who gave great importance to
working from nature. Secondly, pictorial-structural (decorative), on the one
hand - from the traditions of Russian Cézanneism, on the other - from the
traditions of national art. The poetics of natural beauty defines the dominant
position of the lyrical, camera landscape. So, the problem of the landscape genre
in the art of Uzbekistan in the 1960s-1980s is, in essence, the problem of art that
is looking for the way that prepared the original school of painting. In the 1960s,
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the landscape genre, especially the cityscape, was characterized by active
creative research. In "Quiet Night (Sokin Oqshom)", R. Viko reflected the rhythm
of the life of the Uzbek city in a sincere way. When choosing a motif - a teahouse
in the shade of maple trees on the canal and a summer day before sunset - he
expressed it in a unique local bright color. Landscape painters associated their
decision with a realistic reflection of the natural environment, which has
geographical accuracy and evokes unique experiences when interacting with it.
The nature of Uzbekistan is its harmonious proportions, constant change,
originality of architectural types of ancient cities (R. Timurov, Yu. Elizarov); the
uniqueness of the nature of village complexes, that is, the lyrical-poetic
interpretation of nature (Z. Kovalevskaya, R. Akhmedov, N. Kuzibaev, A.
Abdullaev, P. Gan, V. Zelikov, Z. Inoghomov); the nature and uniqueness of the
landscape genre in a philosophical way (E. Melnikov, Yu. Strelnikov, G. Ulko, R.
Choriyev, Yu. Taldykin, Ya. Salpinkidi, B. Jalalov, A. Mirzaev, V. Chub). From this
division, two defining trends of the landscape genre stand out the most. One of
them is the topic of human environment. Indeed, this scene is not new, it has
been previously developed by artists of the Samarkand school. The
representatives of city landscape (R. Timurov, V. Zelikov), industrial (V.
Zhmakin, V. Sosedov with their joint triptych "Industrial Uzbekistan" (1960))
where the modern industrial landscape is in the central part of the landscape.
But the boundaries between the province and the landscape of "pure nature" are
blurred. During this period, the lyrical landscape developed widely. Triptych
"Beloved Country" by N. Kashina (1960), V. Volkov, Yu. Elizarov, R. Akhmedov, A.
Mirsagatov. The next trend is the role of nature in a generalized sense. The main
object is a person and his philosophical understanding of the world. The role of
the landscape in the plot painting is growing, so visual art in general is
experiencing a period of interpenetration and synthesis of genres. It should be
noted that some artists have increased passion for the plasticity of colors (E.
Melnikov, A. Mirzaev, Sh. Abdurashidov). In the 1960s, a new period of rise of
the romantic landscape was observed: "Spring water" by K. Eminov, "Towards
the evening" by R. Timurov, "Spring in the old city", "Spring in the mountains" by
Y. Taldikin. "Blue Valley" by G. Abdurakhmanov and "Open Day" by U.
Tansikbaev, "Autumn" from the series "Seasons" by N. Karakhan, "Oktepa" by K.
Bogodukhov, Valley of F. Fergana. Tahirov. M. Yesin's "Trees Must Grow", E.
Kalontarov's "Road to Samarkand", R. Choriyev's "Near the Chervok Tunnel"
shows the artists' desire to see the landscape in a new way and show their
modern image.[3]
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Plot-compositional researches such as nature, high-voltage poles, high-
speed roads, which depict the exact rhythm of life, should be recognized as an
approach to truly new solutions. In 1984, the "Nature and Artist" exhibition was
organized by Yu. Chernyshov, E. Mel'nikov, Yu. Stel'nikov, known as "Uzbek
Barbizon painters", enthusiasts of plein-air painting. The exhibition of landscape
artists is held every year in a traditional way, where it shows the infinity of the
cycle in nature and the artist's unchanging love for it through artistic means of
expression. It should be noted that today's classical landscape is both real and
plein air, but it is always colorful and unique, that is, it reveals its power,
spirituality, and content through color. In the 90s of the 20th century, the
landscape genre, as it were, was divided into two huge currents with many
different stylistic branches. One of them represents the development of Uzbek
landscape traditions, where nature generously gives new ideas and is the only
inspiration for creating new landscapes (R. Ahmedov, N. Koziboyev, P. Gan, Y.
Strelnikov, E. Melnikov, Y. Salpinkidi, A. Mirzaev, G. Baimatov, Y. Chernyshov, M.
Sodikov, V. Kim, R. Gagloeva, I. Shin, T. Lee, V. Enin, A. Mirsagatov, Kh.
Mirzaahmedov, A. Jamalov, D. Mamedova, M. Umarov, T. Karimov). The latter
followed a different view of the world, a different ideology, where melancholic,
sacred intonations are preferred. So, the theme of mythopoetic trends sounded
as a powerful all-consuming chord in the works of F. Ahmadaliyev, J. Usmonov, J.
Umarbekov, V. Gambarova, D. Okhunboboev, Kh. Ziyakhanov, E. Kambina. The
socio-historical conditionality of art creates a significant generality of the main
creative relations formed in a certain historical period.[4] The uniqueness of
modern artistic development is especially evident in landscape painting, which
fully reflects the colorful researches of Uzbek masters and their individual
artistic language. The works of many talented landscape masters R. Choriyev, R.
Ahmedov, J. Umarbekov, Y. Salpinkidi, E. Chernyshov, E. Mel'nikov, A. Jamolov, J.
Usmonov, F. Akhmadaliyev, I. Shin, A. Mirsagatov, A. Mirzayev and others can
serve as a bright example of an individual style with a general genre direction.
The depicted motif is of great importance in the landscape, where the main place
is occupied by the themes of the old city and mountain scenery. Lyrical scenes,
which are not ordinary at first glance, reveal the deep love of the artists for their
motherland, the sense of patriotism. In the works of R.Ahmedov, Kh.
Mirzaahmedov, A.Mirsagatov, Y.Salpinkidiy, A.Yunusov, I.Shin, many-sided
images of the beautiful nature of Uzbekistan were found.
Conclusion
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In conclusion, it should be noted that the modern landscape image of
Uzbekistan is based on deep life observations and understanding of nature as
the main source of inspiration. It is important to note that in the article an
attempt is made to create a more complete historical picture of the development
of the landscape genre by studying the genre studied in the art of Uzbekistan in
the 20th century and using new methodological approaches in its
transformation into an independent genre
References:
1. Markov D.I. Esteticheskoe fortune sotsialisticheskogo realisma//Sovetskoe
iskusstvovedenie 73.- M.1974. - p. 13.
2. Iskusstvo Sovetskogo Uzbekistana. 1917-1972. - M. SX, 1976. – 608 p.
3. Tulanova D. J. Formirovanie i spetsifika razvitiya landscape landscape jivopisi
Uzbekistana // European Journal of Arts 1 (2022).
4. Likhatskaya L.N. Osobennosti interpretatsiy obrazov prirodyv jivopisnyx
proizvedeniyax khudojnika s. A. Prokhorova - VESTNIK KemGUKI 55/2021
